Does albinism affect health?
General health -- The albinistic syndrome may be accompanied by a wide range of health problems. Some types of albinism affect the immune system, liver, or clotting ability, and others may cause other physiological abnormalities such as defects of the kidneys or thymus, anemia, inner ear defects, megacolon, neurological abnormalities, skeletal defects, microphthalmia, osteopetrosis, spina bifida, and sterility, just to name a few. Albinism in general predisposes animals to skin cancer as well as photosensitivity/photophobia. In some species, some types of albinism are even lethal! So it is easy to see that albinism is NOT just a matter of pigment, it's a deleterious mutation which affects the whole body.
Unfortunately, these health problems have not yet been studied in a controlled manner in the albino Doberman. However, as with the behavioral effects of albinism, there is no reason to suspect that the health effects of albinism will be any different in Dobermans than in other species. For instance, I know of at least one albinistic Doberman who suffered from severe progressive neurological problems, and was eventually euthanized for them. I know of another albino who suffered from megaesophagus, another neurological abnormality. Also, many owners of albino Dobermans have reported that their dogs squint in bright light, have poor vision, and are unable to remain in the sun for any significant length of time without burning. Several albino Dobermans have been reported with skin cancers. And, as discussed elsewhere, one of the best-known albino stud dogs died with malignant melanoma, at less than six years of age.
Vision -- Albinism always affects vision. As mentioned in the "what is albinism" section, the official term for most types of albinism is "oculocutaneous albinism". It is called that because the albinism effects both skin AND eyes. As the NOAH site states, "People with albinism always have problems with vision, and many have low vision. Many are 'legally blind'...Vision problems in albinism result from abnormal development of the retina" (the "fovea", which is normally the part of the retina responsible for the clearest vision, is underdeveloped because of the lack of pigment), "and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eye and the brain" (the optic nerves are misrouted at the point where they would normally cross over). "It is the presence of these eye problems that defines the diagnosis of albinism. Therefore the main test for albinism is simply an eye exam." Note that this does not mean simply shining a light in the eyes, but may involve electrophysiological recordings and other specialized testing which, in dogs, will probably require anesthesia to complete. These tests have not yet been performed in albino Dobermans, to the best of my knowledge.
Also note that the CERF eye examination, commonly used to detect congenital ocular defects in dogs, will not detect several of the visual problems associated with albinism. Vision problems experienced by albinos (human or non-human) may include nystagmus (rapid back-and-forth movement of the eyes), strabismus (crossed eyes, wandering eye, "lazy" eye, "wall" eye), photosensitivity/photophobia, either hyperopia (far-sightedness) or myopia (near-sightedness), and/or astigmatism (blurred vision), as well as a loss of depth perception caused by the abnormalities in the optic nerves. These problems can been seen in both "complete" and "partial" albinos (for instance, Siamese cats often have crossed eyes and/or other vision abnormalities, and "white" tigers also often have crossed eyes). Obviously, visual deficits would be a serious handicap for a working breed of dog. Also, the poor vision suffered by albinos may be a partial explanation for the aggressive and/or fearful behaviors often reported in albino Dobermans. There have been multiple reports of photosensitivity/photophobia from owners of albinistic Dobermans, as well as reports of extreme nearsightedness (such as an inability to recognize family members from across a room and inability to chase balls) and severe lack of depth perception (such as difficulty climbing stairs or problems with falling off of a porch). Photophobia in these dogs was also confirmed by ophthalmologic exam, as reported in the Summer 1987 issue of Doberman Quarterly. Unfortunately, as has been confirmed by CERF officials, CERF certification exams will not detect far-sightedness, near-sightedness, astigmatism, photophobia, or depth-perception deficits, or the optic-nerve abnormalities caused by albinism.
Longevity -- The oldest albinistic Dobermans for which I have any verifiable records are three dogs who have reached eight years of age (two alive and one dead), three living nine year olds, one who is alive at ten, and one trustworthy report of another dog who died at 10 years of age (please let me know if I've missed any). In contrast, it is easy to find normal Dobermans living 12, 14, or even occasionally as long as 17 years. In fact, as I mentioned above, a widely used albinistic stud dog -- Duke, the first albinistic Doberman to complete the WDCâs ãhealth evaluationä certification program -- died in October of 1999, at five years of age of skin cancer. Another well-known albino stud, Thunderidges King of Diamonds (Yoda), died at six years of age in November of 2000.
Recently, the White Doberman Club (WDC) has initiated a Longevity Program similar to that run by the Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA). However, the WDC has elected to award Longevity Certificates to any dog who reaches seven years of age -- while the DPCA awards its certificates only to dogs reaching TEN years or older. The difference in age requirements raises an interesting question: why is it necessary? Has the WDC not been able to find albino dogs living long enough to meet the ten year cutoff?
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